My next project? 1921 Packard Coupe

14 minute(s) of a 548 minute read

Hardly an exciting day but it has to be done. A whole day spent measuring up and drawing a battery box. Extremely mundane but without it you can't go anywhere. Next question should the bottom be lead lined? Oh yes as the exhaust runs right next to it I guess some sort of heat shielding wouldn't go astray.... I can see why the next series shifted the battery to the front fender instead of under the floor.

Bernie J.

Simply not sufficient room 

to list all the cars

that have passed through 

my hands.

1-13-2012

Thanks again David

I have been looking at all my "scrap" sheet metal. I have enough either steel or aluminium. I am concerned about my ability to fold the steel with my folding equipment. (A length of RSJ and some angle plus an assortment of G clamps.)

This may be the first ever Packard with a "lightweight" battery box. It may just need that lead tray in the bottom to make up the difference.

Bernie J.

Seven Lagondas

Six Jaguars

Five Morris Cowleys and Five VWs if you count the modern ones.

Four Dodge Fours

Three Crossleys ( The English ones)

Two (Dozen) Rileys. It took a long time to learn just how bad they are!

One Dixie Flyer

Plus a lot of modern tinwear that I would sooner forget. You know the things that Ford and GM make in Australia. Also dozens of cars that were "just passing through".....

Then there were the 1920/30s Austin Sevens. How many? Just don't ask. 

My first car? A 1918 Austin 4cylinder 20hp.

Now that I think about it there was my French period with Citroen 5CV's, Amilcars, Peugeots etc. and my silly season when I had a thing about Singers at least 7 or 8.

And of course then there were the Daimlers was it four or five if you count the one I almost bought. Lancia Lambdas I would prefer not to think about. Fiats too came and went, some good like the Osca 2ohc 1500 and some not so good like the Topolino that I drove (crashed) through someones front fence. Hey I could go on for hours.

Really I think this thing about listing cars is all a bit...........

Sorry about all that, right now I have just the four cars, the 2006 VW Jetta TDi, the 1996 Peugeot 405 SRi, the 1934 Lagonda Rapier all in regular use and the 1923 Packard Single Six restoration project. I learnt to drive on my father's then new 1949 Citroen Light 15. The sort with the gear lever protruding out of the dash, which may have had some lasting effect on me.

1-15-2012

No work on the Packard again today. I am doing some essential maintenance on the 1934 Lagonda Rapier in preparation for this years busy competition calendar. 

Bernie J

Sorry I forgot to add the 1938 Delahaye & the Land Rover Discovery to my list.

It seems the more I think about it the more cars that flood back into my memory.

Don't go away there must be at least another 100/150 to come....

I an not sure where to put the 1935 Singer Le Mans Chassis fitted with a Peugeot engine and a body from a Bugatti. And I have not mentioned any of the MGs.....

I have attached a couple of photographs just to whet your appertites. These are of a little "Brooklands" style 1927 Singer 8hp racer, the little yellow car that can just be seen in the carport next to the white 1934 Lagonda Rapier is an even earlier 1925 Singer. Both these cars now reside in the UK.

1-16-2012

The Snubber adjuster I used on the Dixie Flyer was an original tool. It went to Kentucky Trailer with the car. You could try contacting Dan Murphy at KY Trailer they have a website. or alternatively you could try making one similar to the one I fabricated for the Packard. It is not a particularly precise science, I made mine out of scrap and use a pair of vice grips to hold the tape from returning into the drum while shifting the clamp at the axle end.

You can get approximate measurements (18inches long, 3 inches between the prongs, prongs 1 1/2 inches long) from the attached photographs. If you want to be slightly rustic you could use a horseshoe, the trick there is to first find the horse. Good Luck....

Hi 

It is that "past cars" thing again. On checking my now becoming suspect memory, there were 8 or 9 MG's of differing "types" and two "bug-eye" and one MK2 Austin Healy Sprites. 

How did get started on this?

Bernie J

There must be more to come. I remember now, there was a Studebaker "Daytona" Wagon in there somewhere too.

Hi Ben 

Without wanting to be offensive I have never owned a Rolls Royce and have never really wanted to own one. A long time ago had a drive of a late teens Silver Ghost, once and that was enough.

The SECOND BEST car that I have ever owned is the 1936 LG45 Lagonda Drophead Coupe. A great car, 100 mph in complete comfort. The BEST car: the one I own now the 1934 Lagonda Rapier two seater. I have owned it since 1978 and unlikely to sell it any time soon. 

Other cars on my NEVER want to own list are Bentley and Bugatti and wait for it....... Cadillac.

1-17-2012

While Dave has been slaving away on the preparation of the Packard body for paint, my attention has been diverted, rebuilding the inlet side of the Lagonda Rapier's engine.

For some unaccountable reason it has developed an air leak somewhere between the carburettors (Twin SU) and the cylinder head. This has resulted in an inability to slow the idle speed down to less that 1500 rpm. It usually idles at 800 rpm. Both carbs have been stripped down and checked, the faces of the manifolds checked to make sure that they were flat and the flange of the carbs checked in the same way. There is no excessive wear on the throttle spindles. These were replaced not all that long ago. New gaskets have been cut and the two short sections of rubber hose connecting the balance tube have been replaced. I am now about to go and assemble it all back together Fingers crossed. We have our first event for 2012 at the weekend.

1-18-2012

Having got the Lagonda Rapier back together and idling at 800-1000 rpm before lunch I could devote this afternoon to the battery box. This is now folded up out of 1.6mm Aluminium that I found that I could cut satisfactorily with my antique Gilbro long-handled snips. I have lined the box with some mystery board that has been taking up space in my shed for more years than I can remember. It is branded Walkers "Golden Walkertite" It is about 1/4 of an inch thick and should do the job nicely. I have made a timber edge surrounding the top and will now have to wait until the body is back in place to adjust its height as it should just clear the underside of the passenger side floor. I have cut a hole in the side adjacent to the speedo cable fitting on the side of the gear box. Without having a cable it is difficult to see exactly how it should fit. I am still looking for a speedo cable or at least the ends of both the inner and outer.

1-19-2012

Another day without any real Packard progress. Spent this morning making some final adjustments to the Lagonda Rapier's throttle linkages and now it is starting "on the button" and ticking over nicely at 800 rpm. Spent this afternoon giving it a through clean and a quick polish. It is remarkable, it was repainted (Freshened up) in 1996 prior to going to England for the FIVA Rally. Since then it has been back to England & Europe in '99, 2004 & 2009 and done countless miles of competitive motoring here in Australia. Over the last 12 months it has covered almost 7.000 miles. Apart from one minor graze on the right rear mudguard caused by backing into a stone wall in the French Alps and the odd stone chip, the paint is almost like new. The wheels are getting a little shabby and maybe need freshening up but as I would need to take it off the road for about two weeks to do that (properly) so they may have to wait. With our mild climate we have (driving) events at least once or twice per month all through the year. Finding suitable 500 X 17 tires is becoming a problem. The Michelin "Comfort S" that are currently on it are no longer available. Hopefully they will last another year or two.

I have mentioned several times that I am looking for a speedo cable for the Packard. To date apart from David McC's very kind offer to remove the one from his car so He could do some drawings which would enable me to have the necessary ends made I have drawn a complete blank. If all else fails I would really like to purchase (Buy) the ends from an outer (both ends) and an inner (both ends). Armed with these it would be a comparatively simple matter to have a complete cable made. Naturally if by some miracle some one has a complete cable surplus to their requirements I would be extremely interested in buying it. Perhaps one of the more knowledgeable Gentlemen (or Ladies) who have a far grater understanding of all things Packard than I could enlighten me. Is this cable exclusive to 1921 to 23 Single Sixes or are the fittings common to all early (1920s) Packards. Perhaps even to some other makes from the same period????

You will see from the attached photographs that the outer end is a plain push in and clamp male fitting (NO screw thread) 5/8 inch in diam. for both ends. The inner cable has a simple spade fitting on each end. Not actually rocket science.

N.B. The photographs of the speedo are from my file. It is in the process of being restored.

1-20-2012

Well, talk about "old home week"! First I had an e-mail from Ian Greenlaw who is restoring a 1930s 6 wheel equipped Dodge Sedan. I was able to introduce him to "Dave the Painter" who is now going to paint his car in two or three months time. Then I arrived home from the VSCC BBQ at Albert Park last night to read Craig's post above. Naturally, despite the late hour I shot off an e-mail to him. This morning I received a reply confirming that not only does he indeed live in Melbourne, Australia (not Florida) but he too was at the same BBQ. 

As Ian commented it really is a small world. He lives just across the Yarra River about 5 miles from our house. There is another old saying "What goes around comes around" meaning simply if you help some one, someone else will help you, although not usually in the space of 24hours.

Amazing!

1-21-2012

This one is for Roger

While not a car that I would want to own, one that I can appreciate...

A friends 1936 Cadillac Imperial Convertible Sedan.

1-22-2012

I guess that is where we must agree to differ Roger. They are two things that would come last and second last on my list of things that I MUST have in any car. Certainly both the 1996 Peugeot and the 2008 VW have electric windows but the Peug is 5 speed Manual and the VW is 6 speed Manual. The 1986 Alfa also had electric windows using the "had" as in they no longer worked. Thank goodness it had a manual sun roof. It too was a five speed manual. With the Lagonda Rapier 99.9 percent of the time we leave the side screens at home simply because we never use them. When we take it overseas with us, we leave the side screens at home as they take up valuable luggage space.

The Packard will have a little more room and it will have a full set of side screens, but definitely manually operated. It has a manual gearbox too, but only three speeds.

Keep up the good work on your models. They look fantastic but are something that I would never have the patience to do and I do like to be able to drive my cars.

One of my favourite roads in Europe is the Gavia Pass (in the Tyroll). I certainly would not like to drive up it in any Cadillac even with electric windows and automatic transmission. There are probably very very few people reading this who even know of this road, let me just say it really scared one of my extremely "tough" motor bike friends. Much of it is single track with passing places, gravel surface and no guard rails. Oh yes, it is quite steep with lots of hairpin bends too. It makes the Stelvio look like a Sunday drive. But great un-interupted views, IF you are brave enough to look.

Hello 

My biggest curse is that I was borne with a very competitive nature. We have just come in from our weekly game of Petanque. That is very competitive and great fun. 

However there is nothing I love more than driving my little old (1934) Lagonda! It is so responsive and I feel very much in tune with it. It loves to be driven in the Mountains. I may be crazy but I believe that it "talks" to me all the time. You can tell by the way it performs, it revs so freely and handles so well. It does exactly what I ask of it and vice versa. I believe that there is a special bond between certain sports cars and their enthusiast owners that must be impossible for people who look upon cars as simply a means of transport to understand. Climbing mountain passes becomes an exhilarating game that we play.

Now you all know that I am quite insane... Something that I do not expect many/any of you to understand. Possibly some motorcyclists can, but I doubt that a Harley Davison rider would.

One thing I can say is that I rarely if ever become bored. Except perhaps on long, flat, straight stretches of road, maybe that is because little (Under 1500cc) highly tuned engines hate long periods of constant revs. How do I know this? Because the Lagonda told me so.....

Coming back to the Packard. I love the challenge in restoring cars that any sane person would say are past redemption. Once the restoration is successfully completed it will be time to move on to the next challenge.